The Sweeper's Girl - Prologue
by Kaliska
Summary: Delsie is a orphan who has no memory of her origins. Through some curious events, she is adopted and raised by the sweepers from L2. Although she is over-joyed, her new life promises only long hours and hard work as she is trained to be a MS pilot.


* I don't own Gundam Wing or any of the pilots, ect. Some of the characters throughout this story (such as Delsie) are mine.   
If you would like to use them in one of your own stories, please email me and ask first.* 

The Sweeper's Girl

Prologue: Another Basket by the Door 

AC 180 

Rain splattered against the cracked pavement. An occasional lamp broke the harsh shadows and fought   
to hold the looming evil at bay. Among the darkened houses, a single church stood. Light shown   
through its windows onto the street, proclaiming the safety within its walls. 

Click, click, click. A hooded figure peered from an alley. It cautiously shifted out of the alley,   
clutching a basket. Walking toward the church, the person paused under each shadow to make sure no   
one followed. A street lamp briefly illuminated the pale face of a young woman, before she could   
duck her head. She slipped up the church stairs and lay the basket by the doors. After arranging   
multiple loaves of bread inside the basket, she rang the bell and scurried back down the stairs. 

Stealing through the shadows, the woman hastened down the street. Three blocks away, she slowed her   
pace and attempted to appear more casual. Tires screeched angrily, as a car spun out of an alley and   
headed straight for the woman. Throwing off her hooded coat, she ran down the sidewalk with her long,   
dark hair streaming behind her. Within seconds, the black car caught up to her. An impenetrable window   
rolled down slowly, and a gun appeared in the opening. As she reached for her concealed gun, two shoots   
rang out; and the woman slumped to the ground. 

The car stopped just ahead, and a tall man stepped out from the passenger side, followed by two others   
from the backseat. Standing over the dead woman, the first man nodded to the others. One bent down   
and roughly turned her over so the light shown down of her face. Big, dark-brown eyes stared unseeingly   
at the tall man. Her face was a mixture of surprise and hate, but no fear marred her expression.   
With a sneer, the man slipped on some rubber gloves and rummaged through her pockets. After a few   
minutes, he stood up again and motioned to the others. 

"She doesn't have it." He said as they climbed back into the car. The driver spun off down the street   
and disappeared around the corner. 

******* 

_At the Church_

Just as the woman disappeared into the shadows, one of the church's double doors opened. A girl dressed   
in plain white looked around with a puzzled expression, finding no one at the door. Her gaze drifted down   
to the basket lying beside the door. Her brow arched slightly. The girl picked up the basket, which was   
heavier than she expected; and stepped back into the church, closing the door behind her. 

"What do you have there?" A sister asked the girl. 

"Someone left it outside the door." She set it down carefully on one of the pews. 

The sister removed the blanket on top, revealing several loaves of bread. "Now why would anyone leave   
a basket of food with no tag saying whom it was from?" One of the loaves moved slightly, drawing the   
women's attention. Hurriedly, she removed the bread from the basket. A surprised gasp escaped from the   
girl before she could recover herself. 

Nestled under the bread was a baby wrapped tightly in a thick blanket. Obviously getting too hot in   
the warm church, the baby had pushed against the bread attempting to escape from the blanket. The sister   
casually removed the blanket and sat back for a better view of the child. "Another abandoned baby." She   
sighed sadly. 

"Look how beautiful her dress is, sister." The girl marveled. She fingered the ornate silk dress. Feeling   
the slight tug on her dress, the baby girl stirred and opened her big, dark eyes. She glanced between the   
sister and girl curiously, before she started struggling to sit up. 

The girl playfully shook the little hand that had attached itself to her finger. "Why would anyone abandon   
such a beautiful baby? Especially a rich family." 

"What makes you think that her parents are rich?" The sister asked. "They could have easily stolen a silk dress." 

"I don't know. She just looks like the baby of a wealthy person." Noticing something around the baby's neck,   
she asked, "What's this?" 

The sister gently pulled at a gold chain that hung around the child's neck. The girl leaned closer. A gold   
charm appeared and rested on the sister's hand. The charm was shaped like a wolf and had a sparkling diamond   
for its eye. This time it was the sister who breathed in deeply. She ran her finger across the charm and turned   
it over curiously. There was a name engraved on the back; however, the last name had been hurriedly scratched   
out and only an "M" was visible. 

"Delsie Adriana M." She read quietly. 


End file.
